Legend of Zelda: Link's Quest
by IgnisxAqua
Summary: Takes place in the realm of the game Minish Cap, basically the same story, but specific changes lead to it being a whole different adventure.
1. Prologue

_A long, long time ago when the world was on the verge of being swallowed by shadow, the tiny Picori appeared from the sky, bringing the hero of man a sword and a golden light. With wisdom and courage, the hero drove out the evil. When peace had been returned, the people enshrined that blade with care_

A young girl slowly walked through the soft grass, her long blonde hair bouncing swiftly behind her as she took each step. She was clothed in a dress fit for a princess, with jewelry especially made for heirs of the royal family. Continuing tradition, all females were to be given the name Zelda, and so that was the name she'd been given at birth. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, yet bold like the waves of the ocean. She was quite careless and ultimately a tomboy at heart. She spent a great deal of time in her home, which in fact was a magnificent castle, home to her father, the King of Hyrule. Many of her days were spent wandering the various corridors of the castle, listening to the servants' tales of the many lands beyond them, and there were a great many which were only mentioned in the legends they spoke of. That was another thing she was fascinated with: Legends and tales that had been passed down through her family. When she wasn't in the castle, with special permission from her father and guards constantly at her side, of course, she ventured out into Castle Town, where there were even more mystical stories to listen too by the traveling merchants and such. But today, she ventured a little ways through the fields outside Castle Town. It was the first time she'd been allowed to leave town without guards, and it made her very happy indeed. After a few minutes she came to her destination: a small thatched house. This was where her closest friend Link lived. They had been through so much together as young children, from the first moment her father met the man Link was an apprentice too, Master Smith. The name, as implied, was true to his nature, as he was in fact the most skilled smith in the land. She cheerfully went inside and heard the distinct sound of metal against metal.

_He must be making something important! _Zelda thought as she wandered into the doorway to her right. Sweat was pouring over the old man's forehead as he skillfully pounded his hammer against the impressive sword, which seemed to be already finished.

"Good morning, Master Smith." He put down his hammer and turned to her, breathing heavily.

"Aaah, goodness me! Good morning Princess Zelda!" He looked past her inquisitively, as if expecting yet another visitor. Confused, Zelda looked over her own shoulder. "Eh, are the guards outside, then?"

"Oh! No, they're not accompanying me today, sir!" Zelda giggled and smiled at him.

"Did you sneak out of the castle and come this way alone?" Master Smith lowered his eyebrows at her, and she only giggled again. This put him at ease. If anything, Zelda was not a troublemaker. "But the minister is sure to be worried about you! You know how that man gets. It'll be my head if they find out you're here." Shrugging, he stepped forward and put his arm around her shoulder. She gently put her own hand on his and they walked towards the front door.

"Oh, sir, don't worry about him. He'll be fine! I did come alone, but my father said that the guards needn't come with me this time." Master Smith raised his eyebrows at her and stopped at the front door, chuckling. "Where's Link? The whole town is bustling for the annual Picori Festival, and I thought he and I might go together." She looked up at him, still smiling.

"Oh, he's upstairs. He's still asleep, and that's my fault. Last night he was up late helping me with a few things, so he's tired." As he said this he turned from her and walked back into the other room, as if an invisible force was drawing him to his work and away from her.

The smile vanished from Zelda's face. If Link couldn't go with her, she really would be alone today. Sighing, she again walked into the room with the anvil in it. She tried to think of something she could say to convince the old man, but nothing came to her.

"So…so he can't go with me?" She said, choosing her words carefully. He looked at her for a moment and then stood up. "Now that I think…I do have an errand at the castle that he could do for me, so yes, he can go." Smiling, she turned and walked into the main room towards the stairs. Behind her, Master Smith's voice echoed a command for Link to wake up.

"_You are the one to ease the world of its eternal suffering, Link. Only you can do this with the help of the Picori and many others whom you will indefinitely meet. On the way, you will gain many powers in which…" _Something stirred outside this realm, gently shaking the very essence of its existence. Perhaps it was the sound of the front door? Or was this reality? Suddenly Link was very aware of the darkness surrounding him, and aware of where he was. He was in the dark. Was this a dream? He couldn't possibly be dead, could he? A gentle laugh shook the darkness as if attempting to destroy it, penetrate it with light found within it. _"…Only you…can…" _The sound of voices, one soft and pure, one bathed in experience and toughness, rippled the darkness. "LINK, TIME TO GET UP!"

His eyes snapped open and very quickly the world around him came into being. He was lying in bed staring at the wooden ceiling. _Just a dream… _he thought. Or had it been? It seemed as real as anything to him, and the thing that made it relevant was that it hadn't faded from the fringes of his mind yet, like normal dreams seemed to do once he sat up. _You are the one to ease the world of its eternal suffering, Link._ He thought. What did that mean? As he swung his legs over the bed and stood up, he suddenly remembered what day it was.

_The Picori Festival!_ As this shot through his mind, he quickly ran downstairs. The stairway was circular and the stairs themselves were quite steep, as the house had been built ten years ago by a poor beggar. When they had moved in, however, his master had tried to repair the chiseled bits of stone used to construct the staircase. He took them two at a time and quickly walked into the other room, his father's workroom. The house itself only had three rooms, a main room and two rooms off of it, one on the ground floor (The workroom) and a staircase which led to the single bedroom where both he and his master slept. As he reached the doorway, he saw a flash of pink and gold, and even in the darkness he knew exactly who it was.

"Hey! Link!" The perfect smile was there, the radiance of her face even in the torchlight was enough to make his jaw drop and his muscles to tense up. Even at his young age, he knew what love was. They weren't kids anymore, and what had started out as a promising friendship had grown, at least for him, into an infatuation of great power. He knew how to control it, however, and instead of acting on impulse and hugging her, he respectfully smiled and gave a short bow. She giggled and blushed.

"Morning, Princess." He replied, trying hard not to blush himself and instead keep a cool smile. It was quite difficult. _Oh god, I just woke up! I look dreadful in the morning, why didn't I wash myself before I came downstairs…_ Inhaling through his nose, he tried to sniff out a possible odor, but to his surprise, found none.

"…and so Master Smith has already given me permission to take you! Isn't that great?"

Zelda had been speaking this entire time, although Link had gotten lost in his own thoughts so he hadn't heard. She was already walking past him towards the front door. He followed, waving to his master.

"Wait, Link. While you're there, do me a favor. I just finished making this sword for the minister at Hyrule Castle. I'd like you to deliver it to him." His master walked toward him, carrying a sheathed sword. Link took it and put it in his belt, accepting it. "Make sure you don't lose this extremely important delivery! It's the blade that will be presented to the winner of the competition." Link nodded and turned back towards the door. "And while you two may be childhood friends, remember that Zelda is the princess of Hyrule, Link." He turned back towards him and gulped. The look his master was giving him was terrifying, but he bravely nodded and went outside.

"What did he want?" Zelda asked, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Told me that you're the princess and I'd better not let anyone hurt you, and if I do I'll be-"

"Oh, that man. I wish he'd quit worrying so much about me!" Zelda laughed and took his hand. A chill ran through his arm and spread itself throughout his entire body, electrically charging his heart. It sped up to an alarming pace.

"Right, let's go." He grinned.


	2. Prologue 2

"Well, here we are! The town of Hyrule!" Zelda exclaimed, and lost Link's hand as she ran into the town through the huge gates, which had been propped open for the upcoming festival last night. "Here we are! Doesn't it look fun?" She said as she bounced up and down, her long blonde hair bouncing with her. "Let's look around!" Link started to say something, but she sped off instantly.

_Damn…how am I supposed to say anything to this girl? _He thought to himself. But he shook his head and wandered farther into the town, under the bridge and up the steps. As he reached the final step he gasped at the sight of the town. It had been decorated with every color imaginable, Banners of purples and blues hung from the torch lights, and a rainbow of groups of balloons had been tied (and there were from three to five to a group) in every space possible. Flowers had been planted, some real and some fake. Some of the paths were blocked off by colorful boxes and the houses had been decorated as well. The wooden beams connecting them had beautiful rotating stars sitting on them. The first beam he walked under had at least twenty five if not more, all glimmering in the daylight. As he walked farther, he could see the many stands and booths set up, where travelers had come to sell their wares from far off lands.

As he read the signs above the stalls, he remembered bits and pieces of stories he'd heard.

_Minish Jewelry, _very expensive and rare, only made with gemstones produced by the Minish race, which nobody had seen for hundreds of years. There was a crowded table with all sorts of trinkets and treasures. He picked up a small skull, gazing at it.

"That's a wisp skull, there." A voice from behind him said. "Twenty rupees, yap."

"Oh, I'm not buying, just browsing." He said, embarrassed. He set the skull down, but something else caught his eye. "What's this thing?" A bottle was filled with a golden, murky substance that glistened in the sunlight.

"O, that there is golden Chu jelly. Very rare indeed, came from an island far away from 'ere. If you want to know the price, it's five hundred and thirty five rupees."

Link continued walking through the crowded square, glancing at the wares of the ones who were selling, although sometimes it was hard to tell. Everybody had _some sort of something _they were holding. One woman had a basket piled so high with books that he could not see her face. A man who passed him had a bottle filled with floating golden creatures. This place was magical, he had never been to such an interesting festival before. On the rare occasion that he managed to find Princess Zelda, she would blurt a quick "Oh, hi- OH MY GOSH LOOK AT THAT!" And once again he'd lose her in the crowd. After about an hour, he gave up and just went his own way. It wasn't long before he heard a series of bells behind him. Turning around, he saw Princess Zelda standing in front of a man on a pedestal. The man's hair was yellow and tied up in a ponytail, and he held two bells, one in each hand.

"RING RING! We have a winner!" The man said. "Princess, you've won the grand prize in our contest? Wow! You get your choice of any of these fabulous prizes. What will it be?" With a wave of his hand, the table in front of them was filled with treasures of all sorts. As Link scanned the items, he noticed gemstones of all sizes and colors, heart shaped stones, treasure boxes, rupees, coins, jewelry, bottles containing every color of liquid, and even a small shield.

"I can choose any of these?" Zelda squealed. "Oh my gosh, look at _THAT. _It's so sparkly!" She gasped when her eyes met the shield. "Oh. My. I _HAVE _to take this. I'm taking this one!" She confirmed. The man shook his head at her.

"That ugly pathetic shield? Now why would you want a thing like that?"

"Hey! It's ADORABLE."

"Whatever you want, princess. I'd have thought you'd chosen the biggest gem or perhaps a treasure box?"

"No thank you." Zelda grinned and walked away. Link followed her and she turned around. "Here! Take it!" She thrust the shield into his arms.

"Really?" Link replied, bewildered. It was such a puny, pathetic shield…but it was from her, and he swallowed what was really on his mind and smiled at her. "Thank you, Princess!"

"Ohhh, I almost forgot! We have to go take the sword to the castle. Let's go, Link!" And with that, she grabbed his hand and they both ran towards the castle, Link struggling to keep up.

After a few minutes of jogging, the stone path was blocked by a row of peculiar looking plants. In the center of the row was a small bulb-like creature. Zelda carelessly walked towards it and it shot a nut at her, hitting her in the arm.

"OW! Hey! This thing must be the Deku scrub I heard some people talking about. It's blocking the way to the castle. We need to do something about it…" She stood behind Link and an idea formed in her head. "Hey, use your shield! That thing isn't that strong but maybe it'll ricochet off the shield and hit it back!"

Link stood, his feet firmly on the stone and held his shield up. The Deku Scrub considered this for a moment and then with a popping sound a seed was fired. As Zelda had said, the seed hit the shield with a loud _ping _and flew back to the Deku Scrub, who sank down into the ground, the rest of the plants disappearing with it.

They continued towards the castle, through the courtyard and across the moat. They reached another courtyard and some stairs which led to the castle itself. The minister was waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

"Oh! Link! You brought the sword, did you?" Link nodded and took out the sheathed prize. "Then, as minister to Hyrule, I, Potho, accept this blade." With that, he took the sword and disappeared into the castle. Zelda tapped Link on the shoulder

"I'm sorry, Link. I'd better go…" she said in a low voice so that the guards wouldn't hear. "I have to prepare for the ceremony. I had a great time at the festival, and I'm glad you came with me." She kissed him on the cheek and he felt himself blush, but this time he didn't mind. He simply smiled, exuberated. "Since you're here though, the awards ceremony starts soon. Why don't you join us?"

In about an hour, the awards ceremony had begun. It was a quite occasion, with only the minister himself, Link, Zelda, and four guards. The guards were situated around a red chest with the top half of a sword sticking out of it.

"Do you know about that sword, Link?" Zelda whispered. "It is called the Picori Blade, and it is said to lock away a great amount of evil hidden in that chest, which hasn't been opened for thousands of years." Link stared at the sword. The blade was silver and he wasn't sure of it but he thought he could see some sort of energy radiating from it. Then again, it was a very hot day, it might have been the heat radiating off of it instead. "Whoever wins the competition gets the honor of touching the sacred…oh! My father!"

The king of Hyrule came through the wooden front doors of Hyrule Castle, took two steps, and announced with his biggest voice the beginning of the ceremony. Zelda bowed down, and Link did the same.

"Vaati, champion of the competition, you may approach the sacred Picori blade."

A man fully cloaked in blue appeared from the courtyard, walking confidently towards the guards, who moved away to reveal the chest and the sword.

_Something's wrong here. _Link thought. The winner was supposed to be a man from the next town who'd won the competition. Who was this stranger?

"To think things would go this well, great King." Vaati said. "The Picori Blade and the Sealed Chest spoke of in Hylian legend…the chest which holds what I seek."

The guards instantly stepped towards Vaati, their weapons raised in warning. Vaati smirked and gave a loud laugh.

"Do not think you are a match for my magic. If you try to hurt me you'll end up dead. I'll relieve Hyrule of the contents of that chest now."

The four guards stepped forward into position. Two crossed in front of the chest, their spears pointed towards Vaati, and lunged forward. The cloaked man simply raised his arms out and swiped them across his chest, and the two guards were sent flying with a loud whooshing sound. Zelda screamed, and two guards came from inside the castle and stepped in front of the Zelda, Link, and the King. The remaining two next to the chest prodded their spears forward and stepped in front of it.

"Mmm, you dare to interfere…as victor; I've earned the right to approach your sacred Picori Blade. Do not go against me." With that, he conjured an energy ball in front of him with his hands and a loud sound began to emanate from it. The guards backed up a little, and the man shot it towards them and the chest. An explosion of energy was released once it made contact with the chest, expanding outwards from the point of impact. The four guards went flying, as well as the King. Zelda stepped in front of Link and screamed as the wave collided with her, although she wasn't thrown by the force of it. Link was behind her and shielded his eyes, preparing to be thrown against the wall behind him. It didn't happen, and when he realized that he opened his eyes to see a radiant sphere of light surrounding Zelda, who stepped forwards to face Vaati.

"Why are you doing this? Who are you, anyways?" She spoke with a terrified voice. Vaati simply laughed and once again conjured an energy ball, which again he aimed at the chest.

"This damned chest is the reason, girl! It holds that which I seek, and it's rightfully mine!" He unleashed the sphere at the chest, and the sword seemed to shudder. There was a loud _clang _and another explosion ensued, throwing Link backwards against the wall. When he opened his eyes this time, he could see the remnants of the piece of the sword lying next to the chest, which was now open.

"You just destroyed the sword!" He heard Zelda screech.

"Ah…the princess with the mystic aura…" Vaati said, noticing she had not been affected by the previous blasts. "The holy power that was gifted to the people of Hyrule still flows within the ladies of it's royal family? Interesting…" He smirked again and stared at her.

"If I leave you now, you'll simply cause trouble."

"Link, get behind me!" Zelda screamed. What happened next happened very quickly. Vaati once again summoned a prism of energy, this time dark and pulsing like the very essence of evil itself. It produced a strong, ominous wind that felt sinister and dark. Link realized the wind was moving _towards _this sphere of what he thought must be pure energy itself, as the wind was being drawn into it like water to an unplugged drain. He quickly got in front of her and raised his shield, which he thought might at least make him an honorable man in Zelda's eyes. She screamed again as the prism pulsed towards them and Link was thrown aside by its power, knocked unconscious. Zelda's scream stopped and there was a brilliant flash of light as the energy ball made contact with her shield and it vanished into existence. She spoke no words after this, she didn't scream again, she had been turned to stone.

"Hah. How's that for a princess. A proper monument in your honor! Now let's see what power awaits me in this chest." Vaati approached the open chest and gasped. It was empty. There had been nothing inside it for thousands of years, it seemed. "Unbelievable…oh well. The force I'm after is out there somewhere. Yes, it will come to me one day." With this announced, and everyone around him defeated, he teleported and within a second had vanished from Hyrule.

_Link…help…me…I'm… _Link's eyes snapped open. He was lying in a most comfortable bed that felt almost like a cloud, staring at a magnificent chandelier and a stone ceiling with murals of the royal family tree on it. All of the women shared the same features, and the same name. Before he could continue, however, he heard a voice from somewhere to his right.

"Oh thank the gods you're awake! Master Smith is here, and he's come to see His Majesty the king. Once you've awakened, you're to go downstairs. Go now." The maid said. Link got out of bed and his feet touched royal red carpet. He was in Hyrule Castle.

"How do I…?" He began, but as he looked around he discovered the maid had left the room. He shrugged, sighed, and started walking towards the door. He had no idea where in relation to the throne room he was. Hyrule castle was outstandingly large, with five floors and many dungeons, secret passageways, and rooms. At least five hundred guards, maids, and servants slept within its walls, and Link was now one of them.

After about an hour he'd finally managed to find his way through the maze of staircases and hallways which was the castle. On the way he'd discovered many locked doors and dead ends, and even barren and dark corridors he was sure nobody had been through in about ten years given the amount of cobwebs and dust. After about forty minutes of mindless wandering, he'd found a guard and asked directions. As he quickly walked into the throne room, he was greeted by Master Smith, who gave him a stern look and shook his head.

"Master, my apologies…" He began, but master smith only looked away. Link stood beside him and waited for the king to speak.

"It is as you all have heard. A sorcerer names Vaati had cursed my daughter and turned her to stone. Without the sacred Picori Blade, we cannot counter the curse. It is nearly without any hope at all that we continue, but we must, for my dear daughters' sake."

Zelda was perched on a pedestal next to the king. As link looked, he saw her final expression of pure terror and innocence. He forced himself to look away.

"The Picori are amazing creatures. They seem to many to reside only in fairy tales, but it's with them that we will manage to break this curse. They are not legend, they indeed do exist. Nobody outside the royal family knows the truth about them. They live within Minish Woods, a sacred place of which the location isn't truly known."

Link raised his eyebrows. How would that help them if the location wasn't known?

"They should be able to repair the broken blade and reforge the sword." The king continued.

A guard instantly jumped to attention. "What? Then we must dispatch ourselves there at once, your highness! What are you waiting for?"

"The Picori do not show themselves to anyone but children. If our soldiers were to search, they would be searching for weeks. We must send the only capable child, Link."

Master Smith perked up at this idea, for it was Link who he had trained for years to be a capable fighter. "I agree your majesty." Link looked at him wildly. How was he supposed to know where to go? Why were these adults pressuring him into this crap? But instead of objecting, he bit his lip and tried to look confident.

"Please Link, turn my daughter into normal again. The Picori should know how to fix the blade. Take the broken blade and this other sword with you." He handed the broken sword as well as another, larger sword to a guard who handed it to Link.

Link was overwhelmed with many emotions as he walked out of the throne room, but mostly fear and anxiety. He'd been told by the king to go to Minish Woods, to a place known as Deep wood Shrine. He'd never been to either of those places before. Master Smith had given him a map of Hyrule, where he'd marked the actual forest itself for him to find. He had a broken sacred sword, the sword meant to be given to the winner of the competition which his master had made only that morning, and a map. He was truly going on a journey worthy of the gods.


End file.
